The permanent group of the IPR Committee of AmCham met yesterday with Mr. Donald E. Townsend, Jr., Regional Intellectual Property Rights Attaché of the U.S. Commercial Service/U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The committee chair, Mrs. Renata Leka, and other members of this committee presented to Mr. Townsend the problems and issues that businesses from various economic sectors face as a result of the lack of protection for intellectual and industrial property rights. They also had an opportunity to explain the laws related to IPR and the institutions that protect these rights.

Mr. Townsend encouraged AmCham members to follow all the legal procedures and file all relevant requests or complaints in accordance with the laws and regulations, as important first steps to protecting their intellectual rights.

Other ideas discussed during the meeting related to creating awareness by including information about Intellectual Property in the school curricula, starting with elementary school, and the need for specific training of judges who cover IP related cases in the courts.